This invention relates to apparatus for retaining gears on multiple spindle gear shafts. More particularly, this apparatus relates to a system of quick removal and installation of gears for effecting gear change operations, as required for certain types of machine tools.
In the prior art, changing spindle gears has typically required a relatively lengthy period of time, involving cumbersome mechanical efforts. More often than not, such operations involve the change of a plurality of such gears, which exacerbates the amount of time required to carry out a given machine tool changeover. In most cases, the gear change involves the removal of split nuts from the ends of several shafts, and removing the gears, installing the new gears and replacing the split nuts. Removal of the split nuts requires the use of an Allen wrench to first frictionally release the split nut from the shaft, wherein the split nut must then be unscrewed from the end of the shaft. After a new gear is installed on the shaft, the split nut is threaded back onto the shaft, and an Allen wrench bolt is reinserted to fix the split nut in place on the shaft against the new gear. What has been needed is a quick change method which would simplify the effort and reduce the time required for gear change operations in the multiple spindle machine tool industry.